down the rabbit hole
by dourdan
Summary: burnt/toriko Brunt is a little known movie about a chef who needed to learn how to be a better person. It made me wonder- what would happen if a real chef found himself in the Toriko world.
1. Chapter 1

We all go to strange places in our dreams but that night when Adam Jones was out cold after drinking himself nearly to death, he truly fell down the rabbit hole.

The last chuck of time he remembered was losing his one shot at 3 Michelin stars, because of who he used to be; the addict, the drunk, the terrible person, and friend. He remembered drinking until he could no longer feel, as he made his way to a bridge. Then it all went blank.

He awoke by a waterfall, in a strange place, a place made entirely of what appeared to be food. Was this heaven? He touched a flower that was actually a hamburger, with each petal made of a single 'component'. Hamburgers were something he always loved. Even from fast food restaurants, he could appreciate the effort put in to every aspect- from the ingredients to cooking process the end product was always consistent. It was food for the masses, a base idea from which innovation could bloom.

Close by was a tree that appeared to produce potato chips. He was in awe of his surroundings when he suddenly saw a purple snake several stories tall. (Maybe this wasn't heaven?)

That thought quickly left when he saw (as the creature lowered it's massive head)the snake had a rider, a man with long multi colored hair who could only be described as 'angelic', like something out of a painting.

"You appear to be in need of assistance" the angel said in a very theatrical voice.

"I don't know where I am." Adam said the only words he could think to say. (This was too weird.)

"Well lets start with who you are. I'm Sunny one of the 4 heavenly kings." Sunny extended his hand for a handshake while bowing.

"Adam Jones, I'm a chef…" he said shaking his hand.

Sunny's eyes lit up. "A chef! From what restaurant?"

"uh..Langhams," he said, secretly hoping there would be no follow up questions.

"hum, never heard of it, how many stars does it have?" Sunny asked.

If Adam was truly dead he had no honest answer. "uh..2."

"Well that explains it, you must be new to the area. A friend of mine is head chef at a 6 star establishment."

6? He had no idea what the rating system was here but this Sunny guy seems to consider 6 to be impressive, maybe that was the best possible score.

"Until then you can be my guest. I can get you some clean cloths and defiantly a shower." Sunny offered.

Adam really had no choice, (unless he wanted to just wonder around.) And Sunny seemed like a nice enough person."Sure, that sounds great."

"Lovely, please, climb aboard my snake." Sunny loved beautiful things and there was something about Adam that he found deeply beautiful, even if he smelled like booze and body odor. "Shoes off please, and hang on tight." The snake had a 'seating area' on top if it's head, so people who did not have Sunny's powers could ride without getting thrown off.

"Holy c-p!" the snake was moving faster than a car. In a matter of minutes they arrived at Sunny's multi-level tree house (more like tree mansion). True to his word he was given fresh clothing (although Sunny's fashion sense was questionable at best.)

Sunny tried to talk to Adam about where he was from or even what he was doing in the middle of a cloverger field. But Adam had more questions than answers and since Sunny loved to talk about himself the topic of conversation was shifted.

"What are the 4 heavenly kings?"Adam asked as food started to be served. Everything looked like it had been plated to appear more elegant or extravagant then it really was, but on closer inspection-that was just what the item was. The most perfect specimen, cooked very simply in a way that accented the color or shape of the item.

But what the dishes lacked was taste and (in some cases) texture. He was polite and quietly listened to Sunny's description of each dish (most had medicinal purposes- which explained allot). This was Sunny's style; beauty, health, simplicity.

"The short answer is we're high end big game hunters. We make our fortunes selling creatures that are uncatchable by even the military. These creatures are gourmet delicacies, but can also level entire cities." Sunny explained while taking a sip of white wine.

"But there are only 4 of you?" Adam felt the need to ask, since that job seem like it would require a larger team.

"Only 4 that operate at our level, trained by the former leader of this nation. I suppose when the times comes I will train an apprentice or two. That is the point of life, to pass on your knowledge and gifts to the next generation, so when you leave this mortal coil the world will be in good hands."

"What do you do?" he asked, motioning that he meant 'what's with the hair'.

"Our powers derive from the senses, touch, taste, sight, and sound" With that Sunny swished his hair making the entire room glow.

Sunny's power was touch, Adam could suddenly feel everything around him, every shape, every texture, every temperature. The 4 heavenly kings represented the 4 senses of a great chef. In moments the sparkle subsided.

"Anyway, have you been to the Central Gourmet Wholesale Market?" Sunny asked.

"I can't say that I have." he hoped that was a normal answer.

It was, the market, sometimes called the 'world market' was very high end, so for a 2 star chef to say he had never been was not uncommon.

"I will show you tomorrow, it's on the way to see friend Komatsu!" Sunny said in his happy voice.

Adam didn't sleep, yet the next day he wasn't at all tired, (which made sense, if this was all a dream.) He stood on Sunny's balcony overlooking what appeared to be a normal forest, under a normal looking moon, with a sky full of creatures; beautiful and freighting beyond all reason.

True to his word (and because he had carcasses to unload) Sunny took Adam to the world market at around 8 am.


	2. Chapter 2

The world market was similar to normal wholesale markets, just with larger, more bizarre creatures (although he had seen some creepy, prehistoric looking creatures in Asian markets). Sunny went to unload his catch (that he carried in a massive box held up by the power of his hair.) He was about to introduce Adam to the buyer when a booming voice asked,"SUNNY'S WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?"

"What in the h-l?" Adam and any one with normal healing had to cover their ears. But what was stranger was the fact that the man who was 'speaking' seemed to be projecting a hologram of himself, before making his presence known.

"oh lord," sunny rolled his eyes," Adam this is Zebra another of the 4..." Sunny could not bring himself to say the rest of that sentence.

The 7 foot tall 'pro-wrestler'-like man with a large scar on his mouth approached.

"Let me guess- the power of sound?"Sound was a relevant element of cooking- but this guy just came off as insane.

"Is this your chef?" Zebra asked in a voice that came off as creepy even when he wasn't trying to be.

"No, just a 2 star chef I'm giving a tour to." the last time Zebra though Sunny had a chef he tried to steal him. Plus adding the fact he was only 2 stars would be enough to deter Zebra.

Sunny sold his items then took Adam too meet Komatsu at his 6 star hotel restaurant. But one of Sunny's favorite people was already there. "Coco!" Sunny shouted happily as he joined him at his table.

"Coco this is Adam, Adam this is Coco another of 4 heavenly kings, much more of a joy to be around then Zebra."

"Zebra's in town for only a few days, then he will be off to the desert lands." Coco said, as if he was reciting a train of thought.

"Coco's is a clairvoyant."Sunny told Adam as they sat down. It was the power of sight, in all its meanings. Coco did have a fortune teller vibe to him, with his black hair, black clothing, green hair wrap and purple ear cuff.

"Adam, you're not from around here." Coco said, taking a sip of tea, offering a bit of the massive amount of food on the table.

"No, not really." he said, as casually as he could.

Coco started to pour Adam a cup of tea. "You come from a place where food is of great value. Your mentor once told you, God created all food; perfect recipes that cannot be improved upon- but it is a chef's job is to try."

If this was a dream, clearly this character represented his memories. "Let me guess you're next line is -I can't change who I was?"

"On the contrary you already have; you gave you self time to think, contemplate, over a self imposed sentence of 1 million oysters- a little over 2 years of toiling in obscurity, to learn the value of humility."

"And yet in your new role as leader in the restaurant that represents your new beginning, you choose take on every burden alone- a state of being based on the idea that your thoughts and decisions are superior to those of the rest of your team."

Adam was too shocked to say anything. Sunny changed the subject; the 4 were going to be going on a hunt in a few days (even Zebra) for a creature called 'a Heavycliff'.

"That sounds disgusting." Adam smirked. Just the words 'heavy' and 'cliff' together -that did not sound like an edible creature. But what did he know; there was a lot of edible earth creatures with less then appetizing names.

"Actually!-Though at first glance they appear to be inedible, their meat is actually soft and marshmallow-like and a rare delicacy with a sweet meaty taste." piped in a young male voice.

"Why hello, Komatsu." Sunny smiled.

Komatsu? the 6 star chef? He was a small man, no more the 5 feet tall, and he could not have been older than 15. (Adam would later learn he was actually 25.)

"Komatsu this is Adam Jones, he's a 2 star chef. Adam this is Komatsu the head chef of this restaurant." He said before returning to conversation with Coco.

"It's an honor to meet you." Adam shook hand. Komatsu took a seat and they talked for a while. About the unique food of the region; Komatsu was an expert in the local food, but there was so much more that he had yet to experience.

"I don't just mean different ingredients, it's the combinations, the possibilities," he told Adam the story of Century soup, the ultimate example of ingredients literally combining over the course of a century (A culinary miracle that he managed to reproduce using every technique at his disposal.)

Next the conversation turned to Komatsu's role as the assistant of the 4th of the 4 heavenly kings- Toriko, vs the stress of running a kitchen. Komatsu admitted he would sometimes leave with Toriko at the spur of the moment, much to the dismay/annoyance of the owner.

"So you leave for indeterminate amounts of time to assist this Toriko person? And you don't worry about the state of your kitchen." He asked.

"Well, not really. I have a great team, any one of us could run the pass." The small man said. "And when I come back it's always with more knowledge and ingredients then before. Why don't you come with us!" he asked, like an excited child.

"To hunt a heavycliff?" he said with a laugh

"As chefs we don't do the actual hunting. We observe, try not to get in the way, then when it's all over we cook." He was saying 'we' a lot as if there were ever multiple chefs on hunts. Sunny, Coco and Zebra did not have personal chefs/partners, and they were always trying to convince Komatsu to partner with them instead, it would get real annoying real fast.

"So what do you say?!" Komatsu looked at him like a puppy.

"Sure," what else could he say.

"Great! If you like you can spend the rest of your day touring my kitchen, and I could probably get you a room at the hotel." He said goodbye to Sunny, and informed him of Komatsu's idea.

Sunny shrugged, "What's the worst that could happen…"


	3. end

The day they went to battle the 'Heavycliff' was the day Adam finally met Toriko.

"Torkio!," this is Adam he's a 2 star chef from a foreign city, said Komatsu.

"This is the ingredient hunter who steals you from your kitchen," Adam smirked at the pro-wrestler sized man with shoulder length blueish-black hair. He was intimidating but he couldn't be any worse then Zebra.

"and my greatest inspiration" Komatsu said in his usual perky voice. "Don't you have someone you consider you partner, your best friend?"

It was an interesting question with many possible answers. Though out the years he gained and lost many friends due to drugs, booze and the overall cut throat world of cooking at an elite level.

But for whatever reason the first name that came to him was "Hellene", his current best friend; a chef he stole from an old friend turned manager's kitchen (the old friend agreed to fire her, forcing her to work for him). The strong, beautiful blonde single mother possessed creativity and innovation with the more modern culinary tools and technology that Adam had otherwise turned away from in the name of authenticity.

"oh like Ren!" Komatsu said happily since he just like to talk. He went on to explain Ren was Sunny's sister and the group's childhood friend. She wasn't a cook, but rather a food scientist; it was sort of a valid comparison, in terms of the mind require to think outside the box.

Sunny and Coco were waiting at the sight. Zebra arrived 30 minutes later. A Heavycliff was not a difficult creature but it was a pack creature. It's flesh was edible and it's body could be used for building material (the reason Sunny was there.) But it's stone body and aggressive personality was more than a little difficult to take down.

Long story short each of the culinary warriors brought their own skills to the party. Zebra used his voice blast ability to smash in to the cliff forcing the creatures out. Coco and Toriko teamed together using Coco's paralyses powers and Toriko projectile attacks named after silverware to take down their prey rendering them unconscious (or dead..Adam couldn't really tell) as they fell.

Sunny's ability to create a massive invisible net with his colorful ,supernatural, hair caught the falling creatures as they fell from the cliff and encased them.

All while Komatsu taught Adam how to watch from a distance to avoid getting killed and then how to actually prepare the strange creature. First how to actually remove the edible parts, then how to season using a variety of strange plants and animals they found in the surrounding area.

"Is that a gummy dog?" Adam asked as they were preparing to cook over an open fire. The animal had wondered in on their campsite. He had cooked a wide variety of strange animals in his time (Sea cucumber, abalone, snails etc), but that was by far the creepiest thing Adam had ever seen.

"The Pugour is a species of pug dog which is made of first-rate dried plums that boast deep flavor and elegant sourness. It appears to fall from the sky like a meteor." Komatsu said as if that made any sense. Adam was sure he was quoting some sort of guide book.

"And only Zebra would even consider eating it." added Sunny collecting the shell pieces in a large create. He would later call for his giant snake to carry it all back to the tree house.

"Eating what?" the large man asked looking around. His booming voice was enough to scare it away.

"To be fair there are allot of cute animals that are edible." Adam said still a little creeped out by a gummy dog. He assumed it was because he was from a culture that did not eat dogs, much less cute ones made of an asian candy.

Toriko lead a version of grace where he gave thanks to the animals and ingredients they were about to consume then slapped his hands loudly.

"We may not always see eye to eye, but we are stronger together then we could ever be apart." said Sunny as they all enjoyed the fruits of their labors.

Sunny called in his snake, Toriko called in his wolf and Coco called in his crow. Zebra apparently had no need for a giant animal.

"He had a Zebra once but it was just a loner." Komatsu felt the need to say.

Adam fell asleep by the fire looking up at the stars until his mind slipped away.

He awoke in the kitchen of Reece, his former friend and long time rival. Apparently Adam , while severely drunk, had trashed his kitchen before passing out. But Reece was not mad. He explained, although they were rivals he did not want him to go off the deep end. "You are better than me, you always have been. But the culinary world need you alive, you inspire the rest of us. Eat this and get out." He gave him a 2 egg omelet to help him sober up.

Your team needs you."he was going to say 'your restaurant/or kitchen needs you' but it came out as 'team' it still made sense and Reece still needed him to GTFO.

Adam now knew what he needed to do. Stars meant nothing if he didn't love what he did and loved the people he worked with; when the world was crumbing down, it was not his job to bear the burden alone. His team was skilled and talented; if they wen't they would not have been chosen (by him.)

'your team believes in you, you can believe in them.' said a disembodied voice.

"Komatsu?" he said as he walked back to his hotel room. No that was just a really messed up dream.

Adam came back a changed man ready to truly accept his new start.


End file.
